Is New Zealand Officially Australia's Favourite Holiday Destination?

Everyone knows Aussies and Kiwis love each other. There’s no rivalry here; it’s just a true-blue, ANZAC alliance. Sure, we all think that the other one has a bit of a strange accent, but that means nothing– there’s no bad blood. In fact, recent data is demonstrating the complete opposite. It turns out that New Zealand will be Australia’s favourite holiday destination this winter.

Comparison website finder.com’s analysis of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics suggests that New Zealand will be Australia’s number one holiday destination for short-term departures in winter (June, July and August) of 2016. It seems Aussies can’t stay away from NZ’s tempting slopes and summits. In fact, last year’s winter season saw a 6.35% increase in short term departures from the year before, with a total of 307,800 Australians travelling there for the colder months. As a result, we can definitely assume that this year will see a similar trend.

Now, I know that this seems like a lot of number crunching, but all you really need to know is that this is seriously significant data. If we experience the same seasonal increase this Winter as we did last year, we can forecast that a whopping 387,899 Australians will be visiting New Zealand for this year’s winter months.

With its worldwide famous mountains and incredible scenery, it’s no wonder New Zealand is so high up the list. And because Australia is only equipped with two prime skiing mountain ranges (one in Victoria and one in New South Wales), it’s pretty safe to say that Aussies are venturing over there in the winter months for one thing and one thing only: snowsports.

But often skiing and snowboarding can be a bit dangerous at times. Of course it definitely is not always life threatening, but it does often have the potential to injure if not done in a contained or monitored environment. So while New Zealand is obviously an incredible destination, you also need to be careful!

One of the best ways to do this is to take out travel insurance. Just that extra bit of coverage will ensure you have the best possible trip ahead, and will cover you in the slight chance of an emergency. It just provides you with that added security so that you know that even if you aren’t injured but do succumb to bad weather or are snowed in, you can be reimbursed and protected for any costs that may have occurred. If you’re not sure where to begin, try checking out a travel insurance comparison site.

Of course, it’s not particularly likely that something bad will happen, but on the off chance that it does, you’ll be safe. Also, especially when skiing, new Aussie skiers sometimes don’t think about the dangers that can occur on the slopes. Keeping a mobile phone on you at all times will definitely help you out if you get stuck. For international plans try having a look at this Aldi Mobile Phone Comparison that can provide you with a range of options to help suit your roaming preferences better, and ensure your safety on the slopes!

So if last year’s data is anything to go by, New Zealand should be expecting a couple of hundred thousand Aussies heading their way and hitting their slopes this winter. It’s just important to make sure people are skiing safely. Nobody wants to be a liability. Watch out NZ, the Aussies are coming!